Implementation Trends for Rainwater-Harvesting Technologies and Strategies and Their Relationship with Building Information Modeling
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 1
Abstract
Various societies across the globe, including that in the United States, encounter difficulties fulfilling freshwater consumption needs. Implementation of decentralized systems, such as rainwater-harvesting technologies and strategies (RwHTS), in capital projects not only alleviates developmental patterns of humans on water resources but also helps facilities achieve net-zero resource consumption. However, implementation of RwHTS can quickly become complex because of multiple factors associated with the design of the capital facility. Although building information modeling (BIM) possesses inherent capabilities to reduce the complexity of systems, the impact it has on the adoption of RwHTS needs to be assessed. This research characterized implementation patterns for RwHTS and BIM by architectural firms for facilities constructed between 2000 and 2010 in six southeastern states and Washington, DC, using electronic surveys. In addition, the authors analyzed the relationship between the implementation of RwHTS and BIM from architectural firms’ perspectives. Furthermore, the study also identified the relationship between RwHTS/BIM implementation and a firm’s demographics, previous experience with federal projects, and green buildings. Last, the study identified the least and most adopted RwHTS types and BIM functions. Future research needs to investigate into reasons for adopting RwHTS and the process associated with it.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded by Grant 0828779 from the National Science Foundation, the support of which is gratefully acknowledged. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this study are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This research was partially supported by a doctoral fellowship from the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech Department of Building Construction, the U.S. Naval Facilities Command, and the Lanford Brothers Co. In addition, the authors thank Dr. Andrew McCoy, Dr. Christine Fiori, Dr. Kihong Ku, Dr. Rajesh Bagchi, and Dr. Ted Koebel for their contributions to the study. The authors also thank members of the industry, specifically Ms. Saloni Bhansali, Mr. Sanjay Bhatia, Ms. Vidya Gowda, Ms. Guneet Kaur, Mr. Aditya Bapat, Mr. Saurabh Singh Gangwar, and Mr. Yogesh Arote for their contributions to the development and pilot testing of the survey and industry insights.
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Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 23 • Issue 1 • March 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 25, 2015
Accepted: Aug 8, 2016
Published online: Sep 30, 2016
Published in print: Mar 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Mar 1, 2017
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